MONKEY REVIEW: Drag Me To Hell

May 29, 2009

Drag Me To Hell, the first horror film from Sam Raimi since Army Of Darkness, isn’t nearly as goofy as that film, though it’s been billed as a horror-comedy as well. The comedy doesn’t arrive until late in the film, and when it does, it’s unexpected and pretty perfectly timed. For the most part, though, the story of an ambitious loan officer (Alison Lohman) who finds herself cursed by a strange woman (Lorna Raver) is ultra-fast paced, tense and often very scary. As it’s PG-13, the gore is kept to a minimum, but there’s a very high ick factor quotient, with a lot of the gross out moments designed to quite literally leave a bad taste in your mouth. (As with a growing number of PG-13 releases, it’s in no way appropriate for very young audiences.) Raimi’s designed the movie to be deliberately retro, a throwback in particular to Universal horror, with its Gypsy curses and séances, but also referencing his own beginnings in horror, which longtime fans will be able to spot pretty easily. Though it’s got its tongue in its cheek much of the way, Drag Me To Hell is first and foremost determined to unsettle and scare audiences, which it does for most of its 99 minute running time. (And for you summer movie nerds, no, there is no post-credits sequence.) Horror fans, especially old school fans, will probably enjoy the movie the most, but if it’s a scary good time at the movies you’re looking for, Drag Me To Hell is just the ticket. In fact, those fans will want to adjust my rating up one demon monkey.